From Kind to Brave: The Story of Brie Strong, a Divergent
by atrfla
Summary: Brie's a Divergent. She comes from Amity and ends up choosing Dauntless. But every other initiate seems to be stronger than her in mind and body- even the single Abnegation, Tobias Eaton. Will she pass Dauntless Initiation? And if she does, what will her life be like, a mouse among snakes? SYOC- I need a whole new crop for the coming year of initiates!
1. Chapter 1

**I've been getting a lot of requests for a Divergent fan fic. So here you go!**

I wake up in the morning and greet the day with a smile, just like we're supposed to here in Amity. I share a room with my cousin Cassandra, who's already up and dressed, her blond hair wet from her shower. As soon as she notices that I'm awake, she turns the shower back on. Cassandra belongs in Amity. She's nothing if not thoughtful and kind.

After my shower I find red jeans and a yellow flowy top waiting for me. Told you Cassandra was kind. We've been sharing a room since we were both six- that was a decade ago. We were scared of the dark. When we decided we weren't anymore, the Amity representative, Joanna Reyes, tried to separate us, but we'd grown so used to one another that Cassandra burst into tears when the leaders assigned her a different room. We've been together ever since.

I braid Cassandra's hair in two wispy yet pretty braids, and in turn she braids my thick red hair in a long plait. We slip into matching yellow flats, realize they're each others', laugh, and switch.

Today is the day that Cassandra and I will take our aptitude test. Then tomorrow, we will decide what faction to be in.

I don't need the aptitude test. I know I belong in Amity. Case closed.

Cassandra and I take the bus and have to deal with loudmouthed Candor boys poking fun at the Abnegations. I feel bad for them, but against Candor? There's nothing we can do or say to make them stop.

After English comes math, and science, and lunch, and in the middle of history comes a call-

"All persons taking the aptitude test today please report to the cafeteria."

I stand up. So do a few other Amity, a couple Dauntless, one Candor girl and three Abnegations. Fifteen Erudite stand (this is an advanced history class).

In the cafeteria I find Cassandra and two of my other friends, Ada and Michael. Ada is the only one of us with black hair, and it's flowing long and straight down her back. Michael's Cassandra's brother- they're twins. Michael's hair is curly and thick instead of wispy and wavy like Cassandra's, but that's not genetic. It's because Cassandra got really, really sick a year ago and all her hair fell out.

Ada spots me and waves me over. "Hi, Brie!" she says as I sit down at the Amity table.

"Hi," I say, and we hug. "You weren't on the bus this morning, were you?"

"No- I took the early bus," she says, smiling.

"That explains it," I say.

They call the first ten people, from "Kit Allen" to "Ada Bedley". We wave and whisper good-luck messages as Ada stands and pads softly away to one of the eight Abnegation testers.

We wait fifteen minutes, then ten more are called, from "Jaser Beigh" to "Eric Fabor". The seventh name called is "Tobias Eaton", and he turns out to be a handsome Abnegation boy with dark brown hair and piercing dark blue eyes. He's tall and looks like he could pick tiny, frail Cassandra up in one hand. He strides to the first Dauntless tester, a woman of about thirty with black hair, and they leave with the others.

A few more rounds pass, and then "Cassandra Love" and "Michael Love" are called. I've always thought it funny that there's actually an Amity family called the Loves.

Now, at the Amity table, there's just me and a cluster of boys at the end. A few Dauntless boys laugh at me, sitting alone, but I spin and give them my best guns-cocked-and-loaded stare (which isn't that good due to me being Amity). Still, they get the message and shut up.

One more round passes. A second. A third. Then the testers return and call out ten names.

"Nina Rhodes." Erudite.

"Clarissa Roesch." Dauntless.

"Nicolas Sagisi." Erudite.

"Erica Saint." Candor.

"Keegan Sciana." Dauntless.

"Elizabeth Spare." Abnegation.

"Maude Srygley." Also Abnegation.

"Carlos Stio." The first Amity, from the boys at the end of the table.

"Cody Strobhar." Candor.

And the last name, one I know so well:

"Brie Strong."


	2. Character Submission

**WELCOME TO CHARACTER SUBMISSION BY ATRFLA!**

* * *

**Please submit a character or two! I have all of the Dauntless transfers of Brie's year, but I don't have a single Dauntless-born or anyone in any other faction except Cassandra and Ada. If you're dying to create a Dauntless transfer, I'll use them in the next year. Thanks!**

**Here is the form. Please fill it out:**

Full name:

Gender:

Hair color:

Hair length:

Hair properties (straight, curly, wavy):

Eye color:

Skin tone:

Other appearance stuff:

Height:

Age:

Style (like, tshirts and shorts, or super fabulous):

Birth faction:

Transfer faction:

Backstory (make it quick):

Any special skills:

Weapons of choice:

Do you want them killed off, and how if yes:

Falls in love with another character?:

Personality:

Any other stuff I forgot:

**Virtual whatevers to all who submit a tribute!**


	3. Chapter 2

I follow the Abnegation woman, who introduces herself as Molina, into one of the ten restricted Aptitude Rooms (number six). I will only ever be in these once unless I become a tester, so I try to absorb every detail. But it's depressingly plain: just walls covered in mirrors, a glowing white ceiling, and a gray cement floor. In the middle of the room is a reclining chair, like a dentist's patient chair, and a desk with a stool next to it. On the desk is a large computer and a keyboard. Molina sits at the stool and motions for me to lie down in the dentist-like chair, which I do.

"So," she says as she attaches an electrode to my forehead. "What are you hoping for? Amity? Abnegation?"

"I- I don't know," I stammer. "I was hoping the aptitude test would give me a chance I..."

"Hadn't realized was coming?" she finishes, attaching a second electrode next to the first. "Yes, that's exactly what happened to me."

"Aren't Abnegation supposed to _not_ be curious?" I ask.

She chuckles. "Yeah, but I was a Candor transfer, and I've never quite gotten over my old habits."

She attaches the last electrode to her own forehead, then spends a few moments connecting wires to me, to her and to the computer. Finally she hands me a glass. In it is a clear liquid that looks like water. Thinking that it's water, I toss it into my mouth, swish the liquid around- it tastes funny- and swallow.

"Wait! No!" Molina's cry comes too late. "That's the serum- I'm not ready-" The last thing I see is Molina's slim fingers flying on the keyboard, trying to ready the wires for the test.

XXX

I open my eyes. I'm standing in the school cafeteria. The tables are all gone except for one- a small round end table. On it is a hunk of yellow cheese- my stomach rumbles, is that supposed to happen?- and a knife that looks freshly sharpened, although don't ask me how I know that.

"Choose," a woman's voice says.

I whip around- but no one's there.

"Choose," the voice says again.

"Between the knife and cheese?"

"Choose," she echoes.

I consider my options, which are:

1) Pick the cheese- I _am_ hungry.

2) Pick the knife- I don't know if I'll need it later. (Will it just disappear? I have a conscious feeling that this isn't real...)

3) Pick them both- I would need the knife to slice the cheese if I didn't act like a total slob.

4) Flip the table and refuse them both.

I choose option three and shove the cheese into my mouth, biting down on it just to hold it. I slip the knife into my belt and flip the table for good measure. Then I hold the cheese and swallow the bite I'd taken. My stomach stops rumbling.

The upside-down table disappears and- _uh oh_\- I hear a growl.

I slowly turn to see a dog. It's running like all get-out for me, tongue hanging out of its mouth, drool dripping from its chin, and its teeth bared in a feral grin.

_Uh oh._

I scramble for anything- _anything!_ My hand opens and I realize I've dropped the cheese. The dog skids to a halt, looks at the cheese- just _looks_\- and then comes closer. Just in case, I whip out the knife.

The dog comes to my feet and starts eating the cheese. I put the knife away and scratch the dog's ears. He reminds me of Michael's loyal puppy, Shiran, who died a few years ago. He _woof_s in satisfaction.

"HEY!" I hear. "THAT'S MY DOG!"

I snap my head up to see a dogcatcher waving a net, sprinting toward us. Without thinking, I whip out the knife and throw it.

It takes him in the shoulder and he sinks to the ground. I feel the scene fading away and give the dog's ears one last scratch...

...and I'm in the testing room, and the door is closed and the room is empty of everything. There's only one mirror on the wall. I turn toward it and am surprised to see that _my reflection isn't mirroring me. _In fact, it doesn't even _look_ like me. It's my teacher, Mrs. Glen, from math. She turns to face me and says, "Brie, did you do your homework?"

"I'm not even in class!" I protest.

"Brie, did you do your homework?"

I feel like I _did_ do my homework- but I don't have it with me, and if I say yes she'll definitely ask to see it. "No," I say.

"Are you sure, Brie?"

I square my shoulders, slim though they are. "Yes. I'm sure."

She smiles and says, "I'm disappointed in you, Brie," which is a weird combination. Then she, like the rest of the room, fades away.

**Okay, I thank the person who submitted a character and I will definitely use her, but please, PM me your characters. DO NOT REVIEW THEM. I think it's against Fan Fiction policy. ~atrfla**


	4. Chapter 3

I blink open my eyes. Molina is hovering over me. "Are you okay, Brie? You took the serum before I was hooked up to the computer, but I think I caught all of your test."

My head feels funny. "I'm dizzy," I say. "And I have a headache."

"That's perfectly normal."

"What did I get?"

Molina looks away and types a few words on the keyboard. "Brie, given the choice, which faction would you want to be in?"

"Amity," I say. "I know that's what I got."

"Amity… of course, that's your birth faction. But that's too obvious. I'll put Amity into the computer, but I suggest you change to another faction. It would be safer."

"Safer? Why? Whatdid I get?"

"Nothing."

"Wha?"

"Your results were inconclusive. You belong in two or more factions. In your case-" she dropped her voice to a whisper- "three."

"_Three?!_" I hiss. "Three factions? That's unheard of!"

"No. Not completely. But it is very dangerous."

"Are there others?"

"Yes. They call them Divergents. And they're believed to be a danger to the system, a blooper in the perfection. You have to hide where they'll never expect to find you."

"What…"

"Just trust me, they'll be wanting this room in a few moments. Divergents aren't rare, but they're hard to find. They can control simulations because their personalities can be equally split between two or more factions. You are Trivergent-"

"_Tri_vergent?"

She looks embarrassed. "Um, it's a name I made up for the Divergents who're split between three factions."

"I like it."

"You are Trivergent between Dauntless, Amity and Erudite. I would suggest choosing one of those three factions, but not Erudite, because the Erudites hate Divergents the most. Oh, there are one or two there, but it's the most dangerous faction you could choose." She glances at her watch. "Our time is up. I'll put Amity in the computer- unless you want another as your result?"

"No. Amity is fine." And with that, I leave the room, conflicted, and head for my Amity History class.

XXX

That night, I slump into bed and try to fall asleep, only to be awoken by a whisper that shatters the silence like a knife shatters glass. "Brie?"

I prop myself up on one elbow and see that Cassandra is doing the same. "Yes?"

"What did you get on your aptitude test?"

"We're not supposed to share that. You know we're not."

She plops back down into bed. "Well- did you get Amity?"

Technically, I did, so it isn't a lie when I say "Yes."

She sighs and buries her face in her hands. It's only by the noises that I realize Cassandra is crying.

I get up and sit down next to her, rubbing her back. "It's okay. It's okay." I don't even ask what's wrong- that's what you do in Amity.

"I didn't get Amity," she wails.

_What?_ Cassandra, _made _for Amity, not getting Amity? "That's impossible," I say.

"I got- I got-" She buries her face in my red pajamas. It is possibly the last time I will _ever _sleep in red or yellow pajamas. Cassandra wails an unintelligible word into my PJ's.

I couldn't make out what she said, but I can tell she doesn't like it. I pat her shoulder. "It's okay. You belong in Amity, I know you do, and you can just pick Amity tomorrow and be done with it."

She raises a tearful face. "Will you?"

After a beat of hesitation, I say, "Yes, of course." There's a reason I didn't get Candor.

Cassandra leans her head back on the pillow. "Okay." She stops sniffling. "Good night, Brie."

"Good night." Then I go back to my bed for what is possibly the last night I will ever spend in an Amity facility, and I stay up half the night debating what to do.


	5. Chapter 4

The next day, Cassandra, Michael, Ada, the rest of the sixteen-year-old Amity population, and I take the bus to the Hub, where the Choosing will be. On the way, I play tug-of-war with my emotions. Molina said that being Erudite would be too dangerous, so that's easy to rule out. I've always loved the idea of being a reckless wild child like the Dauntless, but my Amity training would counteract that. Still…

Michael seems so confident and happy- he must _know_ which he's choosing. Cassandra, like me, has pale circles under her eyes, but still smiles. Ada has her eyes closed and is muttering to herself.

We arrive and, since the elevator is jam-packed, wait for the next one. When it comes, we all pile in, creating Amity sandwiches left and right. We ride the elevator to the twentieth floor, and Ada, who's frightened of heights, makes a point of looking away from every window we pass. As I look around the other standing sixteen-year-olds (I'm between that boy Cody Strobhar and a girl named Gabrielle Suddith), I notice that Cassandra and I are not the only ones who didn't sleep well last night. This is a stressful day for all of us. The day we choose our futures.

This year it's Amity's turn to go through the opening ceremonies. I watch happily as Joanna Reyes begins speaking, and before I know it, her speech is over and she's calling the first name.

A girl named Kate Zitterich from Candor goes first. She strides up to the podium like she owns the world and accepts the knife from Joanna. She draws it across her palm, and a bright red line wells up on her hand. She holds it over the bowl filled with broken glass, and her blood drips onto the shining substance. She goes back to Candor proudly.

Broken glass. That's what my emotions feel like right now.

_Amity?_

_Or Dauntless?_

Persephone Wix of Erudite goes up to the bowls. Several people have gone since Kate Zitterich, but no one has switched factions. Yet.

Persephone, who wears glasses, hesitates while the blood pools in her palm. Then she holds her hand sideways over the gray stones of Abnegation.

Her blood drips down, making her an official Abnegation- a Stiff. Her Erudite family looks properly ashamed. Erudite and Abnegation have been at each other's throats for a long time, and now that Persephone has transferred to Abnegation, she will no longer be part of her Erudite family.

Faction before blood, as they say.

"Gabrielle Suddith."

Gabrielle Suddith of the Candor walks up to the bowls and cuts her hand. Without hesitation, she lets her red blood drip down into the already-wet Amity earth. With that, I know what to do.

I can't live my old life anymore. It's time for a change.

"Brie Strong."

I smile at everybody as I walk up the aisle between Candor and Amity. I take the knife from Joanna, memorizing her features. This is probably the last time I will see Joanna Reyes. Then I look out to the Amity section and find my family. Nanette and Joseph Strong smile at me from the crowd. So do my two little brothers, Jay and Robert, ages fourteen and eight. Then I slit the soft skin of my palm and handed the knife back to Joanna.

To my left are the Abnegation stones and the Dauntless coals. Right in front of me lies the bowl full of damp soil, and to my right are the Candor glass and the Erudite water, already stained red.

Then I turn to the left. A gasp comes from the Amity section- from my mother. I look at her and try to convey the message _I'm sorry._

Without seeing if she understands, I thrust my hand out over the coals and watch my blood sizzle on the coals. I am the first Amity-to-Dauntless transfer today.

I just hope my family understands.

XXX

I go to stand behind Dauntless, aware of my family's eyes on me, while Cody Strobhar switches from Candor to Erudite. Soon it is Michael's turn, and he takes the knife and drags it across his hand. Blood wells up from the cut- he cut a bit deeper than he needed to. Then he looks out to the audience. Our eyes meet. For a brief second, I dare to smile- probably a last bit of Amity escaping me. And then his blood is crackling on the coals.

_What?_

_Michael chose Dauntless?_

I am no longer the only Amity-to-Dauntless person.

Michael comes to stand beside me and nudges my shoulder. "Hey," he whispers.

"Shhhhhhh," I hiss.

"Sorry."

"Why did you pick Dauntless?"

"It was what my test told me I was."

_Really? Michael? A Dauntless? A _true _Dauntless?_

Then we both shut up because it's Cassandra's turn and no one wants to miss that.

Tiny frail Cassandra trips up the lane, and almost plunges headfirst into the bowl of Erudite water before she can accept the knife. After she recovers her balance, she slices her hand open and then _drip, drip, drip_ goes my cousin's blood onto the Candor glass.

_Cassandra?! CANDOR!? Cassandra, _made_ for Amity, CANDOR?_

Cassandra flashes me a grin, and I reply with a stunned smile. Then Cassandra walks over to the people in black and white.

Each faction grows and shrinks as people come and leave. Then it's that boy Tobias Eaton's turn. He stands up in his shapeless gray sweatshirt and slacks and almost happily takes the knife to cut his palm. Without glancing once at the Abnegation section, he cuts his palm, dumps the pooled blood over the Dauntless coals, and joins us.

"Hi," Michael says.

"Shhh," he snaps as Amilia Duran chooses Abnegation.

When it's Ada's turn, she becomes the only one of the four of us to stay in Amity. I can practically see the sadness in her eyes when she returns to red and yellow and glances at each of the three of us in turn.

The last girl, Kit Allen, stays in Erudite, and then it's time to go to our new home.

Home.

**Please, please, please, _please_ submit a character! I've only gotten one submission so far! ~atrfla**


	6. Chapter 5

The twenty-seven of us stumble into an elevator alongside the Dauntless who attended the ceremony. When it opens its doors on the first floor, the experienced Dauntless break into a run, sweeping us initiates along with them. I find myself running next to a pretty girl in black. She has wavy red hair like me, only it's shorter- about shoulder length instead of longer. Her eyes are weirdly orange, but not like evil-looking- more like a dark tan. It's very pretty alongside her tan skin.

"Are you a Dauntless-born?" I yell over the noise.

"No! Candor!" she shouts. "I'm Phoenix. What's your name?"

"Brie!" I yell. "Do you know what we're doing?"

"Probably the train jump!" she shouts back.

_Right! _To prove their bravery, Dauntless jump on and off moving trains to get places. Sure enough, we run up a hill and there's a train passing by.

Without stopping, Phoenix hurtles onto the top of the train. Her red hair blows free of her ponytail and whips around her shoulders. Then she waves. "Come on, Brie!"

I leap for the train and barely make it. My hands catch the rim of the train and Phoenix pulls me up. "Hey, not bad for your first time."

"Have you ever done it before?" I gasp out. My lungs are burning.

"Yep. Mom was a Dauntless, you know- Mariah Dawn, Dauntless prodigy. She used to teach me to jump on and off trains just for fun."

"Why did she leave?" My lungs are feeling better.

"Fell in love with Dad during Visiting Day- he was visiting his younger sister, who's Mom's age."

"Why did you switch?"

"Curious, aren't you? I like that. Everyone seemed so inconsiderate- I mean, you wouldn't expect that from the truthful faction, would you? But it's true- and it was all so _boring_! I wanted some _adventure! _Some- some-"

"Zeal?" I finish.

"Yeah. Which faction are you from and why did _you_ switch?"

"I'm from Amity," I say. "And same, only minus the inconsiderate part."

"Ohhh, an Amity," she says, scrutinizing my clothes. "Cool."

I spot a tunnel coming up. "Quick- duck!" We both drop to our bellies, and people see us doing it and copy. Only one person gets hit, and it's an Erudite girl. She wipes her bloody nose and gives all of us who are gawking at her a thumbs-up.

Michael talks quietly with Tobias- it's good that he made a friend. Phoenix and I chat about our old lives- she's an only child and is very interested in the fact that I have two brothers. After a while, the experienced Dauntless shout and jump up. Coming up is a tall black building to our left, just slightly lower than our train. The experienced Dauntless take running starts. Every single one makes it onto the top of the building easily. They wave us over. We sprint for the edge of the train and fly through the air. Both Phoenix and I make it with room to spare, but two Erudite girls aren't so lucky. One catches the edge of the building and almost loses her grip before an Erudite boy pulls her up. The second one jumps too low, hits the wall, bounces off and plummets to the pavement below. It isn't a soft landing and we can hear a _crack _and a _squish._

The first Erudite girl screams and breaks down sobbing. They must have been twins, because they looked exactly alike. The surviving twin sobs, "Janet, Janet," as the Erudite boy comforts her. She's the one with the bloody nose, but better a broken, bloody nose than a broken, bloody body.

One of the experienced Dauntless diverts our attention away from the squished mass that was Janet and the sobbing girl that's Janet's sister by shouting, "Everyone listen up!"

We all look at him. He's tall and broad and has pink hair. _Pink? Really?_

"To get in," he yells, pointing to a large hole in the building, "you have to get in through the back door."

_Back door?_

"You jump!" he yells.

"Jump?" I whisper to Phoenix.

"There's a net at the bottom," she whispers back. "Mom told me about this. Let's go."

We both move forward- even the experienced Dauntless look surprised.

"Do we just jump?" I ask the Dauntless. They nod.

Phoenix and I run for the hole, and we slow slightly near the lip. I grab Phoenix's wrist and we spring into the blackness.

**Only one character's been submitted so far! Have a virtual cookie as motivation. (::) (::) (::) (::) (::) (::)**


	7. Chapter 6

We plunge into the abyss, and about five feet before I expect impact, we hit something squishy. And woven. My first thought is _ew, it's Janet_ but then I remember the net.

I let go of Phoenix's wrist but realize she's gripping mine just as tightly.

A boy, and then another, come hurtling over the edge of the hole just as a young man- maybe nineteen or twenty- helps Phoenix and then me over the edge of the net. Our feet touch the ground.

"Your name?" he asks Phoenix.

"Phoenix Dawn, of Candor," she says shyly.

"And yours?" he asks me.

I straighten my back. "Brie Strong. Of Amity."

"Strong. That's a strong name," he says.

"That was the lamest pun I've ever heard, Amar," says a woman behind him.

"Be quiet," Amar shoots over his shoulder. Then he tilts his head up to the sky and yells, "First jumpers- Phoenix and Brie!"

Applause comes from the lip of the hole and more people begin to jump.

The boy who came down next to us clambers out of the net without help. It's Tobias. He's closely followed by an Erudite boy wearing glasses- it's the boy who comforted Janet's sister. As we look, he takes off his glasses, climbs from the net and drops them on the ground.

They _crack_ as he steps on them and all I can think is: _Broken glass._

"I'm never going back," he says to no one in particular.

More people climb from the net, Michael among them. After I count twenty-five people, I hear a faraway voice, and then a faint blow and a cry that gets louder as one last person falls from the lip of the hole. It's Janet's sister, and she's screaming, "HELP MEEEEEEEEE!"

She lands in the net and immediately curls up on herself, whimpering. Michael starts toward her, but Amar steps in front of him. "Leave her. There's no room for people who are scared to be Dauntless here."

Phoenix raises a tentative hand. "What's going to happen to her?"

The woman behind Amar steps out and surveys us with a devil-may-care look. "She'll go to join the factionless. Just like eleven of you."

We all take a step back.

"Eleven of _us_?" the Erudite boy who smushed his glasses says.

"Yes. Normally we only keep ten initiates per year, but… we have a big group this year. Of course, if we find some people inadequate, we _can_ keep less than fifteen."

Phoenix and I gulp.

"I'll take the Dauntless-borns," the woman says, smirking. "I'm guessing _you _don't need a tour around the old place." The thirteen Dauntless-borns walk off, wearing the same smug smirks.

"That's Lauren," Amar says. "She came during my year."

"How old are you?" a Candor boy asks.

"Nineteen. Now, come on. I'll give you all a tour."

The twelve of us follow Amar through the Dauntless compound. It's pretty cool. Then we're given black clothes to change into- there's a whole closet we get to choose from. Our old clothes are taken off to be burnt, but I find a knife lying on the floor- at home, there wouldn't be knives anywhere but kitchens- and cut a square of fabric from my red long-sleeved shirt, yellow jeans and yellow scarf. I give the rest to be burnt into ashes and hide the fabric squares beneath my hard bed.

There are seven boys and seven girls, which is pretty cool. The only three redheads are girls (redhead power!) and the other four girls are pretty cool too. One has straight brown hair, the second has wild black hair that looks like a lion's mane, and the third also has black hair, but it's long and straight and shiny. She looks kind of like Ada from home. The fourth has curly brown hair, and she's very pretty.

_Home_. I would never admit it, but already I kind of miss Amity, lying here in bed with the snores and sobs of my new fellow initiates filling the air. Home was peaceful; home was lovely; home had _outsides_, and wasn't cooped up in some underground cave. Home is where my parents and brothers and friends who stayed are surely crying themselves to sleep tonight, because their life will be different from now on.

Just for a moment, I allow myself to wonder. _What is Cassandra doing right now?_ She was never one to cry. She'll probably stay up the whole night. My frail Cassandra will never lie again.

I roll over and softly let the tears go.


	8. Chapter 7

The next day we are escorted to our training room. We are also forced to introduce ourselves to one another. "It's just a part of your training," the second instructor, standing next to Amar, says. "If you know each other better, it'll make it harder for you to fight them. And we believe that the harder it is, the better."

I find out that the other redheaded girl is named Rose Wilde from Erudite, and the one with brown hair is Eureka Mason from Candor. She has two older brothers in Amity- Colm and Jackson. She asks if they're all right, and I answer that they are. Colm and Jackson Mason were transfer twins from Erudite three years ago, and obviously Eureka is their little sister. Colm and Jackson got along well with my own little brothers, Jay and Robert, most commonly called Bobby or Bob.

The girl with the lion's-mane black hair is named Linnet Beiler, and in my opinion that's the most beautiful name I've ever heard. It just sounds _made _for Dauntless, you know? And the Ada-lookalike is named Ellary June Syllus, but she makes us call her Ellary or Ell. The final girl is named Aurora Lin, and she's the one with the curly brown hair. There isn't a girl who I don't get along with- so I guess my Amity training has helped me.

As for the boys, I already know Tobias and Michael. The Erudite boy introduces himself as Eric DuBois and then stays sullenly quiet for the rest of introductions. Another, Atlas Brake from Candor. Also from Candor are Alex McDonald and Killian Grimm. The only Erudite boy except Eric is named Arthur Nahutel, and he pleads with us to call him Art. He's pretty nice.

We're kind of separated from the Dauntless-borns. Why, I don't know. They should want us to mingle, right? Make friends. They sure made us transfers talk to each other. I decide that Dauntless is complicated and crazy and nothing at all like Amity.

I love it.

We also already know Amar, but the other instructor- he has fluffy ear-length auburn hair, short bangs on the left side of his face, and light blue eyes- tells us all that he is named Serena Cyad.

"I came last year," he says, "from Erudite. And I was top in my class. So we're gonna show the Dauntless-borns and Lauren that transfers are the best. You ready?"

One of the boys, Alex, snickers under his breath to Atlas, "Serena's a girl's name. Wonder if he got a gender change?" Then he chuckles at his own not-so-funny joke. Atlas wisely stays silent- but then again, I haven't heard him say a word except his name and old faction.

Serena comes over and lifts Alex's chin with two fingers. I don't know why, but his quietness makes him all the more frightening. "What's your name, my little Candor friend?"

"Alex," Alex chokes out. He's paralyzed by those light blue eyes.

"Well, Alex," Serena says quietly, "if I wanted to deal with Candor loudmouths, I would have joined their faction. So be quiet."

He lets Alex's chin go and walks away. Killian laughs, and Alex gives him a cold glare.

"Wait," Eric says slowly. "Your name is Serena?"

Serena spins around. "If you make fun of my name, I _will _throw you into the chasm, I don't care if I get arrested. Same goes to all of you!"

"No," Eric says, "it's just that I knew a boy named Serena back home. He transferred away last year- but I don't know to which faction. He had green eyes, though."

Much to my surprise, Serena starts chuckling. He reaches toward his eyes and two contact lenses come out with a wet _pop_. His eyes are suddenly green. "Well, well, well. What's your name?"

"Eric DuBois," Eric says proudly.

"Oh, it _is_ Serena!" Ellary says happily. "Remember me, Serena? Ellary Syllus from history class!"

Rose frowns. "I was an Erudite and I don't remember you."

"Me too," Arthur says, confused.

"We all lived on the West Side," Eric explains to Rose. "That explains why you didn't know Ellary or me either, at first sight."

Rose nods. "Right, because I'm from the East Side."

Amar claps his hands once. "So now that we're all acquainted with one another, line up in the middle of the room. Today you will learn to shoot a gun and shoot it well." After waiting a beat, he says (louder this time): "Well? Line up!"

We line up and Serena and Amar alternatingly push rifles into our arms. When everybody has one- including the instructors- they line us up horizontally through the room so everyone is facing red and white targets that I'm sure weren't there five seconds ago.

Serena steps up to a thirteenth target, one obviously meant for him and Amar. He hefts his assault rifle and takes aim. "Careful for the recoil. It hurts." And then he shoots.

A _bang_ rings through the room and I can't see where the bullet went. Then I spot it- or at least the hole it made, dead center in Serena's target.

He turns to us, a wry smile on his face. "All right. See what you can do."

Both Phoenix and I hit the target on our first try. So what if it's on the very edge? Ellary nicks the target on her second try. Rose gets it on her fourth, and so does Linnet. But Eureka's having trouble. She's so small and slight that the first recoil from her gun sent her flying into the opposite wall. She's dizzy and handles her gun wrong. She nearly shoots Serena's eye out but as quick as, well, a bullet, he whips a knife from his belt and deflects the bullet, sending it spinning into the wall that Eureka just hit.

"And that," Amar says from behind me, "is why we always tell our initiates to be careful with the guns."

Eureka plants her feet and looks at the target with determination. Then she pulls the trigger.

_Bang_! I scan her target- we're all watching. But then Michael laughs and says, "Look at my target!"

I gaze over to Michael's target and then we're all laughing. Eureka shot clean through the center of Michael's target. The hole is slightly diagonal and the fact that Eureka can't even hit her own target but can shoot through another target perfectly is hilarious.

Eric and Alex are laughing, but they're laughing meanly. As an Amity-born, I was raised to detect meanness and stand up against it. So I whisper to Eureka, "Eric and Alex are just mean. Don't pay attention to them," but she's already noticed and her face is bright red.

She stands to her full height- which is still about a foot shorter than me or Eric- and says bravely, "Leave me alone and stop laughing or I'll shoot you!"

Eric laughs and remarks, "I'd be more scared if you were aiming for Michael!" because Michael is on Eric's other side.

Eureka's face flares maroon and she drops her gun and starts marching over to Eric. She puts her fists up, but Amar snags the collar of her shirt, turns her around and grins an easy grin at her. "There'll be plenty of time for that after lunch. We're going to be learning to fight."

**I am now taking people for the next year of initiates, and of course I'm still taking Dauntless-borns. Thanks to all who entered characters.**


	9. Chapter 8

**Yeah, yeah, I know, I know, I'm terrible for not posting. My computer's been having issues. Deal with me, okay?**

After a lunch of hamburgers with ketchup, we return to the training room. The targets are gone and the floor is clean of bullets and guns. Instead, in the very middle of the room, there's a big boxing ring. I remember them from pictures at school. I never thought I'd see one up close.

Serena turns to us, a smirk on his face. "Well, welcome to fighting lessons." He organizes us all in a line and starts critiquing us. "Phoenix Dawn, you're tall and slender, which is ideal for bending out of the way when an opponent strikes. Have you ever taken gymnastics?"

"No, never," she says.

"Well, you might want to consider it. Flexibility is a big asset in the ring, or even in any fight." He moves on to Alex. "Alex McDonald, you're short and skinny. Shortness is an advantage, especially if your opponent's tall- they have to practically crouch to hit you in all the right spots. And you look like you're fast. Dodge around and make your opponent dizzy, _then _strike."

Alex snaps to attention and brings his hand to his forehead, military-style. "Sir, yes sir!" he practically yells. _He's such a suck-up._

That thought pops into my head without my Amity brain censoring it. _Woah woah woah! I shouldn't have thought that! That was rude, and I _never_ think rude thoughts!_

As if reading my mind, Ellary, who's next to me, nudges my arm and whispers, "It's okay to hate now that you're out of Amity, Brie."

I look at her. "How did you- how-"

She hides her laugh behind a petite hand. "I'm a skilled face reader. To anyone else, it would just appear that you were looking at Alex as if- like- I don't know, you had only just seen him or something. But I know better."

"He's such a suck-up," I mumble.

She grins. "Better."

By now, Serena's past Arthur and Aurora and he's critiquing Tobias. "…you're pretty strong, for a Stiff," he's saying, and I can see Tobias's muscles tense. "But you're not fast- I've seen it for myself. You move like a turtle. Quicken up and you might have a chance."

Tobias actually growls. But by then, Serena has moved on. To Eureka. "You're small. And you're also gifted."

"With what?" Eureka challenges.

"Anger," Serena replies calmly.

She laughs sarcastically. "Sure. And how's that going to help, Mr.-High-And-Mighty?"

Serena coolly stares down his steeply sloping nose at Eureka. "You can use it to your advantage. Control it. Turn that anger into strength. If you pack all of your anger into a punch, trust me, your opponent's out like a light."

"Humph," Eureka harrumphs as Serena faces Rose.

"You. Well, first, if you ever find yourself in a situation where someone is angry at you, just smile at them. You're pretty as a picture. Use that to your advantage."

Rose beams and then blushes. "Thank you."

Serena's face softens into a slight grin. "If that doesn't work, you're tall and gymnastics would also work for you."

Rose gives him another genuinely thankful smile. "Thanks, Serena."

The tips of his mouth quirk up quickly, but then he's back to his normal glower. "Brie Strong. Your name can't save you in the ring-"

"How many puns about my name will I have to hear?" I interrupt.

His eyebrows raise, and for a moment he almost smiles. Not in a slightly flirtatious way like he did with Rose, but in an impressed way. "But that sense of humor might. Crack jokes if you ever find yourself in a fight that isn't scheduled. Hopefully, you'll get your opponent rolling on the floor in stitches before the first punch is thrown. If not, I advise you- since you're not _that _tall- to build up your speed. Dodge and laugh, Brie. Dodge and laugh."

XXX

After everyone's been critiqued by Serena, Amar pushes a blackboard on wheels in front of us. It's covered in scratchy handwriting. I squint to make out what it says.

_Eureka vs. Alex_

_Eric vs. Brie_

_Arthur vs. Aurora_

_Rose vs. Tobias_

_Michael vs. Phoenix_

_Linnet vs. Atlas_

_Ellary vs. Killian_

I glance around. The rest of the pairs are pretty evenly matched- Eureka and Alex are both short; Arthur and Aurora are both the same size; Rose, Michael, Phoenix and Tobias are pretty tall; Linnet and Atlas are both built like bulls; and Ellary and Killian have the same build. But Eric is huge and stocky, probably better suited to fight Linnet or Atlas. I am moderately tall and slender as a stick. Oh, dear. This will not end well.

We start from the bottom. Killian wins, then Linnet (to Atlas's discontent), then Michael (I clap insanely, but apologize to Phoenix), then Tobias, and finally Arthur. I tentatively step into the ring and Eric's barely in before he charges like a bull.

I barely leap aside, but then try cracking a joke, just like Serena told me to. "Bull in a china shop, huh? Well, I'm the china shop- and you know how that saying gooooooeeeeeeeeees!" I have to jump away during 'goes' because he charges again. I scramble to my feet, but he's charging again and he catches me before I can throw a punch.

His head hits my stomach and knocks the wind out of me, as well as (I'm sure) damages a few vital arteries. I gasp and slide to the floor.

Amar says "Time out" and then climbs into the ring to help me up. He looks into my eyes and says, "Brie, I hate to do this, but the fight keeps going until one opponent is physically unable to fight any longer."

"I think- this counts- as physically unable," I gasp out. Tears are streaming down my cheeks.

"I mean unconscious or seriously hurt. I think you're fine, Brie. Can you get up for me?"

Slowly, with Amar's help, I get to my feet and waver unsteadily. Then Serena says, "Okay, time out's over!" and Eric yells and charges.

I stumble to the side and manage to throw a punch that connects with his ear. A bruise immediately starts to form. Encouraged, I throw another, but Eric grabs my arm and flips me over his shoulder.

I fly through the air, hit the wall hard and instantly black out.


	10. Chapter 9

"Brie? Are you okay?"

"I don't think she can hear you, Phoenix. She's out like a light right now."

"I don't care. Brie? Are you awake?"

I open my eyes to find five fuzzy faces hovering over me. After a few blinks, they all come into focus. Amar, Michael, Rose, Phoenix and Ellary all wear the same worried expression that vanishes when they see my eyes come into focus. I try to sit up, and while Rose pushes me back down, I notice Tobias sitting sullenly in a chair in the corner of the room.

"What… what happened?" I ask groggily.

"Eric threw you," Michael says sourly.

"He's right," Ellary says, much more cheerfully. "You hit the wall and went out like a light, to quote Michael."

"Oh, lovely," I say, trying to get rid of the pounding headache that hit me like a train.

"I'm glad you're okay," Amar says, "but now you have to get back to training, the five of you."

Michael and Phoenix groan, but they leave. Rose and Ellary grin and wave at me as they exit, and Tobias doesn't even glance my way as he slips silently out the door.

Amar sits in the chair that Tobias has just vacated. "So, Brie, how is it that we have an Amity first jumper this year?"

"There was a Candor, too," I protest. But then I grin. "Phoenix's mom came from Dauntless and so she knew there was a net at the bottom."

Amar grins too. "So did I. I was the first jumper of my year."

"What faction did you transfer from?" I ask curiously.

He bites his lip and looks off to the side, effectively creating a trying-to-avoid-something look. Eventually, the corners of his lips turn up and he says, "Dauntless."

"Cheater!" I exclaim.

He shrugs. "Hey, I came out first in my class, so it didn't really matter. I wasn't known as 'the first jumper'. I was known as 'the number one initiate'."

My eyebrows come together and my forehead creases, which, if you know me, are signs that I am surely very confused. "But what about Lauren?"

His lips curl back, revealing brilliant white teeth against his dark skin. "She came in second."

We laugh for a little while before Serena comes and tells Amar that it's dinner time. I'm feeling a lot better by now and so I accompany the two instructors to the dining hall.

There, my friends are nowhere to be seen except Michael, and he's sitting with Killian, Alex, Atlas, Eric, Tobias and Arthur. I decide not to join that group and instead scan the hall, holding my rapidly cooling pizza and cake.

Finally, I decide on a knot of younger people near the edge of the hall. As I approach, I see that- uh oh- they are the Dauntless-born initiates of this year. I gulp, but by then they've noticed me and a few girls are waving me over, so I take a few steps forward and say "Hi".

"Go ahead, sit down," one of the girls says, waving her hand. "You're one of the transfers, aren't you? The one from Amity."

I nod. "My name's Brie."

She grins, tossing her honeyed curls. I notice she has a nasty scar that runs down her neck and her entire left ear is pierced, the neat rows of tiny dots filled up with both rainbow and black earrings. When she was waving, I caught a glimpse of the Dauntless symbol tattooed on her wrist under a few words that I couldn't quite make out. She's wearing a tank top that shows off her other tattoo, the word 'courage' in fancy script above a line and the word 'fear' in blocky text below that same line. "My name's Maya."

"Cool tattoo," I manage to get out. Then I take a bite of my pizza so I don't have to say any more.

"Not as cool as Keren's," she admits, gesturing to the girl on her left. She has caramel skin and short, glossy black hair that swings over her face. But that's not enough to cover the raven tattoo that takes up half of her face. The wing extends over the bridge of her pointed nose. She has a second tattoo on her right arm, a swirling and twirling silver-and-black pattern that creeps up her entire arm- I can tell because she's wearing, what else, a black tank top- and goes onto her neck and I assume up to her hairline.

Keren nods, swallowing. "There's a reason I got the tattoo, Maya." Her voice is low and smooth. "Do you think I did it just for the- oh no, Sam's here."

A guy plunks down next to me, his plate stacked with at least four slices of pizza. "Pi-zzaaaaaa!" he howls, grinning. Then he notices me. "Oh, cool, the Amity transferette! I'm Sam."

"Sam, Sam, the pi-zzaaaaaaaaa man," Maya mocks, smiling. "Sam, Brie. Brie, Sam."

"I'm guessing you love pizza," I mumble, swallowing.

"Love pizza?" he hollers. "If I could, I'd eat, sleep and breathe pizza!" Then he lets loose and we all pinch our noses shut.

"I think we just breathed that pizza," another girl with blond hair in two French braids mutters in the nasally voice that we all can't help laughing at.

Once the fart has dispersed, we let go of our noses and Maya introduces me to Samantha, the blonde ("We have to call her Samantha because otherwise there's two Sams") and the boy sitting next to her, Cameron. He has short curly black hair, dark eyes that glitter like twin stars, and an impish grin.

"Samantha and Cameron, the lovebirds," Sam hoots. I have determined that he is an extremely loud person. "Keren the sullen, Maya the beauty-"

"-and Sam, Sam the pizza man!" finishes Maya. This sends us all into stitches and I can't help thinking that the Dauntless-borns—at least the ones that I've met, for I know that there are more than five—aren't all that bad.


	11. Chapter 10

The next day, Amar and a nurse circle me and deem me fit for training. They escort me down to the training room, where all of the girls flock me.

"Where _were_ you last night?" shrieks Phoenix. "We looked in the dining hall, the infirmary, all of the shops and the transfer bedroom, but we couldn't find you anywhere! Are you okay?"

I grin. "You must have checked out the dining hall pretty early, because I was there."

Ellary smiles. "Who did you sit with? Michael?"

"No," I say. "The Dauntless-borns."

Six pairs of eyes grow wide. Six mouths drop open.

"The _Dauntless-borns_?" repeats Aurora. "But they're- moody and unsociable!"

"And we aren't?" grumbles Linnet.

"They weren't to me," I say stubbornly. "There were five of them. Samantha, Cameron, Keren, Maya and Sam."

Eureka grabs my arm. "Do you think you could introduce them to us?"

I raise an eyebrow. "Why? I mean, sure, but why?"

She grins a mad and crazy grin. "They can teach us how to fight better. And then I can beat Alex into the ground!" She steals a glance at Alex and I'm surprised to see the fire in her eyes, but I agree that it would help.

"You guys can come with me tonight during dinner," I tell them. "I'll see if I can combine our two groups for meals. You'll like them."

Then Serena yells, "Quiet!" We all quiet down and turn to look at him, and he continues, "Day two is exactly the same only you'll be fighting different people." He gestures to our rifles. "Get shootin'!"

XXX

That afternoon, Amar rolls out the blackboard and I read the words chalked upon it.

_Linnet vs. Alex_

_Eureka vs. Ellary_

_Phoenix vs. Killian_

_Atlas vs. Rose_

_Tobias vs. Aurora_

_Michael vs. Brie_

_Eric vs. Arthur_

Linnet and Alex are up first and they haven't even been a full minute in the ring when Linnet grabs Alex, flips him over her shoulder and smashes a fist into the side of his head. He goes out like a light, as Michael whispers to me with a hidden smile. After that, Eureka and Ellary go, and though Ellary's taller and probably stronger, Eureka delivers a hard punch to her stomach that knocks the wind from Ell and leaves her gasping on the ground. Amar checks, and a big purple bruise is already starting to form, so he lets it go.

Phoenix beats the- the- _I can swear now, I can swear now-_ crap out of Killian after a few minutes of circling with a barrage of punches to the jaw, but Killian gets in a good swing himself and Phoenix has to go to the nurse for some tissues to stop her bleeding nose. Then Atlas elbows Rose in the neck and he wins (but not without a few bruises along his arm), and Tobias grabs Aurora's arm, twirls her over his shoulders and steps on her neck hard.

And then it's my turn. To fight Michael. Which is just a cruel twist of fate.

**I haven't posted in forever, but it's the last day of summer vacation, so I figured I should.**


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